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Irish Television Rights for RWC 2015

The Irish Times is reporting this morning that RTÉ is still in the race to win the TV rights for the RWC 2015, going head-to-head with TV3 and Setanta.

Interestingly, in order to make funds available for this bid, they have excused themselves from bidding for the Irish rights to next season's Pro12 match rights. According to Thornley:

Having withdrawn from the bidding for rights to the Pro12 on foot of Sky securing 30 matches per season, thereby leaving the field clear for TG4 to go on televising that competition along with BBC Northern Ireland, the national broadcaster have evidently prioritised the World Cup in England, along with the November Internationals and the Six Nations.

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Listening to Seán O'Rourke talking with the head of TV3 today it sounds like RTE may have failed to secure the rights for RWC2015. O'Rourke was definitely intimating that TV3 had won the rights battle, although the TV3 guy refused to confirm or deny the rumour. It would be a big blow for RTE to lose out, as their Rugby coverage would be very slim without it.

“People are broad-minded. They'll accept the fact that a person can be an alcoholic, a dope fiend, a wife beater and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn't drive, there's something wrong with him.” - Art Buchwald

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Listening to Seán O'Rourke talking with the head of TV3 today it sounds like RTE may have failed to secure the rights for RWC2015. O'Rourke was definitely intimating that TV3 had won the rights battle, although the TV3 guy refused to confirm or deny the rumour. It would be a big blow for RTE to lose out, as their Rugby coverage would be very slim without it.

The 6Ns and autumn internationals, basically, along with summer tours outside the SANZAR nations.

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The 6Ns and autumn internationals, basically, along with summer tours outside the SANZAR nations.

I wouldn't be so sure about the autumn internationals, didn't Sky get in there at least once before. As for summer tour games, they didn't have them last year

“People are broad-minded. They'll accept the fact that a person can be an alcoholic, a dope fiend, a wife beater and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn't drive, there's something wrong with him.” - Art Buchwald

Comment

Listening to Seán O'Rourke talking with the head of TV3 today it sounds like RTE may have failed to secure the rights for RWC2015. O'Rourke was definitely intimating that TV3 had won the rights battle, although the TV3 guy refused to confirm or deny the rumour. It would be a big blow for RTE to lose out, as their Rugby coverage would be very slim without it.

I had a conversation with someone involved with TV3 recently enough and when the conversation turned to work related issues it got pretty downbeat very quickly. UTV Irelands new venture are in the process of securing all the rights to all the English/British soap opera/gameshow rubbish(Held by UTVs parent company ITV) which accounts for the overall majority of TV3s viewing figures and therefore advertising revenue . Add in the overall crash in advertising budgets due to the recession and now the loss of G.A.A/Champions League etc etc.

He's got the C.V out for the first time in yonks to look it over. I'd be very skeptical about TV3 throwing cash around then again he's not involved in the sports end

Fides et Robur

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I had a conversation with someone involved with TV3 recently enough and when the conversation turned to work related issues it got pretty downbeat very quickly. UTV Irelands new venture are in the process of securing all the rights to all the English/British soap opera/gameshow rubbish(Held by UTVs parent company ITV) which accounts for the overall majority of TV3s viewing figures and therefore advertising revenue . Add in the overall crash in advertising budgets due to the recession and now the loss of G.A.A/Champions League etc etc.

He's got the C.V out for the first time in yonks to look it over. I'd be very skeptical about TV3 throwing cash around then again he's not involved in the sports end

There are reports doing the rounds this morning that TV3 is offering voluntary redundancies to all its workers, although the station itself is denying this.

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I wouldn't be so sure about the autumn internationals, didn't Sky get in there at least once before. As for summer tour games, they didn't have them last year

TV rights to summer tours to South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia are held by Sky, which is why RTÉ couldn't show the tour to New Zealand last summer.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the rights to broadcast other tours are auctioned in an open bid when the tour itself is announced. No-one so far other than RTÉ has seemed interested in covering our tours of Canada, the USA, Japan, etc.

As for the autumn internationals, yes, I would imagine that the rights to broadcast these will be coming up again soon and that Sky (not to mention BT) will certainly be involved in the bidding.

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if i was selling the rights i would take a lower bid from rte than tv3 for the above reasons. they could well be bust by then. they'll have to reinvent themselves very quickly to survive.

they seem to be pushing a lot of game shows at the moment but they need to win a few big tv dramas or something (and i dont mean dallas but maybe its doing ok)

off the top of my head non itv stuff, they have morning/daytime tv of some sort, expose, vincent brown, a few game shows. maybe they could try for some bbc stuff

they stand to lose emmerdale/coronation street. mountains of reality shows (celebrity jungle, xfactor, Britain got talent) and a mountain of even more unwatchable tripe (UK's answer to jerry springer, banged up for being stupid, my 40 stone child or whatever)

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Rarely watch TV3 myself, the rest of the family, herself, the kids, would watch some of the above, mostly because we've Sky and ITV/UTV aren't on the main TV Guide/Favorites. (Yes, i know you can add them in other channels, but to get to them is too many clicks away, 1st world problems!)

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Reading the news re TV3 it appears they are trying to reinvent themselves in the face of the UTV arrival south of the border. They have commissioned a soap opera & from what I understand, they may be offering voluntary redundancies to all, but it seems they are looking mainly to the news & current affairs dept to shed some staff.
I would say rumours of their demise is greatly exaggerated. They now own the biggest single TV studio (actual studio production space) in the country and are, according to the head of the company working on developing other unique Irish programming in conjunction with independent producers & the BAI.

It looks as though they will have the rights to the 2015 World Cup here in Ireland. They are not dead & gone and UTV will have to prove themselves to an Irish public too. If TV3 go about their rebirth in the right way (less appealing to the lowest common denominator), they might just be a successful company. Tabloid tv doesn't have the appeal here that it has in Britain, TV3 need to take on a few intelligent documentary strands, either bought in or commissioned & to compete with RTE, UTV et al in a sensible fashion. In that way they can be a success.

“People are broad-minded. They'll accept the fact that a person can be an alcoholic, a dope fiend, a wife beater and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn't drive, there's something wrong with him.” - Art Buchwald

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TV rights to summer tours to South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia are held by Sky, which is why RTÉ couldn't show the tour to New Zealand last summer.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the rights to broadcast other tours are auctioned in an open bid when the tour itself is announced. No-one so far other than RTÉ has seemed interested in covering our tours of Canada, the USA, Japan, etc.

As for the autumn internationals, yes, I would imagine that the rights to broadcast these will be coming up again soon and that Sky (not to mention BT) will certainly be involved in the bidding.

Last summer's tour to USA & Canada was covered by TG4, not RTE

“People are broad-minded. They'll accept the fact that a person can be an alcoholic, a dope fiend, a wife beater and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn't drive, there's something wrong with him.” - Art Buchwald

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